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Palestinians: “Journalism” after Hamas’ head

Mar 26, 2019
Palestinian-journalist-Hajer-Harb-reporting-from-a-Hamas-training-center-in-Gaza.-Screenshot-Hager-PressYouTube-600x396

  • For Hamas, “accuracy” means that a journalist working in the Gaza Strip shows Israel and the Palestinian Authority in the worst possible light – regardless of the facts.
  • Instead of praising the young, dedicated journalist for her courage, Hamas has decided to punish her. Instead of questioning and prosecuting the corrupt officials mentioned in her report, it is now outreach journalist Hajer Harb who is being prosecuted for telling the truth.
  • We still need to see Western journalists/' target='_blank'>journalists and the media express some concern about the constant attempts of the Palestinian Authority and Hamas to intimidate and silence Palestinian journalists/' target='_blank'>journalists.


As part of its action against freedom of the press, Hamas has imposed another restriction on journalists/' target='_blank'>journalists’ work in the Gaza Strip. That move by Hamas has made many journalists/' target='_blank'>journalists doubt their ability to report on what is happening in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip. As for the foreign journalists/' target='_blank'>journalists, they have not yet responded to this recent violation of civil liberties.

So what exactly has Hamas done that has made Palestinian journalists/' target='_blank'>journalists so angry? In the second week of February, the Hamas government press office issued a directive stating that from April 1 this year, journalists/' target='_blank'>journalists will no longer be allowed to conduct interviews or visit government institutions in the Gaza Strip unless they are in possession of a “press card” issued by the Hamas-controlled information ministry.

This new directive means that those journalists/' target='_blank'>journalists who do not receive a “press card” from Hamas will not be able to work freely and independently in the Gaza Strip.

Needless to say, Hamas does not intend to provide such evidence to journalists/' target='_blank'>journalists who are not affiliated with the Islamist movement and its ideology. Nor will Hamas give its “press card” to journalists/' target='_blank'>journalists who dare to criticize the movement’s regime in the Gaza Strip or express a different stance. What’s even worse, Hamas can now, after awarding itself the right to issue “press cards,” decide who is a journalist and who is not. Basically, Hamas’ message to journalists/' target='_blank'>journalists is this: “If you are not with us, find another job.”

The new initiative is Hamas’ way of controlling the narrative. Hamas clearly wants to make sure that the journalists/' target='_blank'>journalists working in the Gaza Strip only report on topics that put the movement and its leaders in a good light in the eyes of the Palestinians and the international community.

Now, it is not the case that the stories that have come from the Gaza Strip in recent years have not been positive towards Hamas. Ever since Hamas forcibly took control of the Gaza Strip in 2007, its leaders and security forces have, in effect, maintained a firm grip on the local media to ensure that Palestinian journalists/' target='_blank'>journalists living there “align themselves.” The result has been that most of the reports that have come from the Gaza Strip over the past 12 years have largely ignored Hamas’ failure to improve the living conditions of their constituents.

With its control over the media, Hamas has been able to send the message to the world that the wretched conditions of the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip can be entirely attributed to Israel and President Mahmoud Abbas’ Palestinian Authority. A few foreign journalists/' target='_blank'>journalists who briefly visited the Gaza Strip and wrote some reports that Hamas did not like were quietly told that they could no longer return to the Hamas-controlled coastal clave. Palestinian journalists/' target='_blank'>journalists, who have nevertheless challenged Hamas by reporting on sensitive issues such as economic and administrative corruption in the Gaza Strip, are still suffering under Hamas’ long arm.

Take, for example, the situation of the female, outreach journalist Hajer Harb; she is currently (February 2019) being prosecuted in the Gaza Strip because she has exposed the corruption in some of the Hamas-controlled ministries and institutions. Harb, a former cancer patient, has been repeatedly summoned for questioning by Hamas security forces because of his involvement in reports of corruption in various health and housing institutions. In the second week of February, the court again adjourned Harb’s trial, this time until February 26. She is accused of “showing a lack of objectivity, reasonableness and accuracy” in her reports. Instead of praising the young, dedicated journalist for her courage, Hamas has decided to punish her. Instead of questioning and prosecuting the corrupt officials mentioned by name in her report, it is Harb who is now being prosecuted because she has told the truth.

Her lawyer, Baker al-Turkumani, has described the charges against her as “flimsy.” The indictment, he said, is an “attack on the media’s freedom of the press and expression, which is protected by law. Law and order is the journalist’s weapon against corruption. The law cannot be used to restrict a journalist’s work or freedom of expression.”

The accusation that Harb had failed to display objectivity and accuracy in his journalistic work is both unreliable and ridiculous. It is unreliable because it comes from Hamas – a group for whom terms such as objectivity and accuracy must be seen as completely inappropriate. It is ridiculous because it lets Hamas set the standard for objectivity and accuracy.

When, one must ask, has Hamas been given the right to teach the media about “objectivity” and “accuracy”? For Hamas, objectivity in the media will mean that journalists/' target='_blank'>journalists keep quiet about their leaders and government employees. For Hamas, “accuracy” would mean that a journalist working in the Gaza Strip shows Israel and the Palestinian Authority in the worst possible light – regardless of the facts.

To return to Hamas ‘intentions to issue its own press cards to journalists/' target='_blank'>journalists working in the Gaza Strip: The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate, an organization dominated by Abbas loyalists, has condemned Hamas’ decision as “illegal.” Tahseen al-Astal, the syndicate’s deputy chairman, said Hamas ‘decision was a “clear violation of journalists/' target='_blank'>journalists’ access to information.” He called on all journalists/' target='_blank'>journalists to boycott all news related to Hamas in protest of the decision.

Although the syndicate’s criticism of Hamas is perfectly justified, it is worth noting that the same syndicate rarely feels called to protest against attacks on Palestinian journalists/' target='_blank'>journalists residing in the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank. By directing its criticism solely at Hamas, the syndicate exhibits an obvious double standard.

Since the beginning of this year, the Palestinian Authority’s security forces have arrested 10 Palestinian journalists/' target='_blank'>journalists in the West Bank for their “negative” reports and alleged criticism of Abbas and other leading Palestinian front figures. In the Gaza Strip, Hamas has convened only four interrogations during the same period.

The Palestinian Journalists’ Union regularly chooses to completely ignore the difficult situation of the journalists/' target='_blank'>journalists who are arrested by the security forces of the Palestinian Authority. The only ills the syndicate can spot are those that can be linked to Hamas or Israel. This is because its front figures and leading people are linked to Abbas’ Fatah faction. Now this syndicate, which condemns the recent Hamas move, has called on all Palestinian officials and journalists/' target='_blank'>journalists to boycott Israeli reporters and media organizations.

Like Hamas, the Palestinian Authority, aided by its allies in the syndicate, is apparently trying to gain control of news and reports to ensure that journalists/' target='_blank'>journalists focus their criticism solely on Israel. Like Hamas, the Palestinian Authority has had relative success in its efforts to curb the flow of information from areas under its control. A Palestinian journalist residing in Ramallah will think about at least ten times before he or she writes or utters a word that might irritate Abbas or one of his senior officials.

Hamas’ latest decision targeting journalists/' target='_blank'>journalists will undoubtedly make it harder for journalists/' target='_blank'>journalists to work in the Gaza Strip. Many have already been subjected to intimidation campaigns and threats from Hamas. The new decision will now force many Palestinian journalists/' target='_blank'>journalists in the Strip to change professions: if they have not been “cleared” by Hamas security forces, they will no longer have access to the sources.

The continued interference of the Palestinian Authority against Palestinian journalists/' target='_blank'>journalists in the West Bank has developed into every journalist’s nightmare; many today exercise a strict self-censorship of fear for to be punished by Abbas and his security agencies. In the absence of free and independent media under Palestinian Authority rule, several Palestinian journalists/' target='_blank'>journalists have been forced to seek employment in Israeli, Western or Arab media agencies.

We still need to see the Western journalists/' target='_blank'>journalists and media channels express any concern about the constant attempts of the Palestinian Authority and Hamas to intimidate and shut up the Palestinian journalists/' target='_blank'>journalists. If foreign journalists/' target='_blank'>journalists continue to ignore the situation of their Palestinian counterparts, the day will soon come when they themselves can fall victim to the unacceptable and unprofessional interference that Palestinian leaders inflict on the media.

Sources and Notes

Khaled Abu Toameh, award-winning journalist based in Jerusalem, is a Shillman Journalism Fellow at the Gatestone Institute.

Original article: “Palestinians:” Journalism “Hamas Style” 2019-02-14. Translated by Mette Thomsen, published 2019-03-24. Reprinted with permission from the Gatestone Institute.

Additional background (from 2017): “Hamas Prosecutes Journalist for Exposing Corruption in Gaza”. The Tower. 2017-09-20.

Recent Articles by Khaled Abu Toameh


  • Palestinians march backwards while Israel prepares for elections, 2019-03-18 (also at MIFF 2019-03-19)


  • Preparing for peace – in a Palestinian way, 2019-02-17 (also at MIFF 2019-02-20)


  • The “separate” Palestinian state, 2018-12-21 (also at MIFF 2018-12-21)


  • Hamas’ plan to take over the West Bank, 2018-12-16 (also at MIFF 2018-12-17)


  • Therefore, renewed US sanctions against Iran are good news for the Palestinians, 2018-12-05 (also at MIFF 2018-12-06)


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